Tetris Party could very well be the best value to ever hit WiiWare. It could stay that way for a very long way, as well. We all know what Tetris is, but Tetris Party offers so many more fresh takes on the series. The best part is, the new game modes are actually fun…really fun. There have been plenty of Tetris games that have expanded upon the original idea, with some of them being decent and others turning out to be cruddy. Tetris Party has some of the most inventive ideas I’ve seen for Tetris, and they are really enjoyable. It makes sense though…Alexey Pajitnov was a consultant on the project. For those that don’t know, Mr. Pajitnov is the man that created Tetris.

Tetris Party features modes that have you playing co-op to create lines, building paths for a little man to climb to the top of the play field, going against 3 other players and power-up attacks, building empty spaces to gain real estate space, controlling Tetriminos with the balance board, and much more. There is so much to do here, which speaks a lot for the developers. They could have released original Tetris with upgraded graphics, and it would have sold like hotcakes. Tetris alone is super-addictive…which is why we keep purchasing it. Now, we’ll actually have multiple reasons to dive back into the franchise once again.

I can’t decide which Tetris Party mode I liked the most. All of the variations were impressive, and fun. I think the best game I played may have to do with the people I played against. In a 4-player game of Vs. Tetris, I was taking on Nintendo’s Denise Kaigler, MTV’s Patrick Klepek, and a mystery player. The game was intense, with power-ups flying around the screen, and Tetriminos falling at break-neck speed. In the end, I actually managed to pull out the win. It was right then and there that I knew that I would have a blast when this game comes out…and you will too.

Seriously, save up some Wii Points and get ready to purchase Tetris Party. It’s a fantastic presentation of the original Tetris, and true upgrade to the classic title. Expect this one to sit at the top of WiiWare download charts for a number of weeks.